Patience in Adversity and Prosperity

📖Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2464
‘Abdur-Rahman bin ‘Awf said:  “We were tested along with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) by adversity, so we were patient. Then we were tested after him with prosperity, but we were not patient.”

Understanding the Hadith

This hadith highlights an important reality, both hardship and prosperity are tests, but not all tests come directly from Allah’s actions. Instead, many trials occur because of how people use their free will, affecting others in the process.

1. The Test Exists Because of Free Will, But Not All Tests Are Directly from Allah

Allah created humans with free will, meaning people make choices that shape the world around them.

• Some people use free will for good, bringing justice and kindness.
• Others misuse free will, causing harm, oppression, and suffering.

When someone chooses injustice, it is their action, not Allah’s, that causes suffering. However, Allah allows it to happen as part of the test of life.

• The one who causes harm is responsible for their wrongdoing.
• The one who suffers is tested in their patience and response.

📖Surah Al-Zalzalah (99:7-8)
“Whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it.”

This shows that each person is accountable for their choices.

2. Hardship Often Comes From Human Actions, Not Directly from Allah

Many people blame God for suffering, but in reality, much of it comes from human mistakes, greed, and oppression.

• Wars, corruption, poverty, and injustice are caused by people, not by Allah.
• However, Allah allows them to happen because He granted free will, and the world is a place of testing.

📖Surah Ash-Shura (42:30)
“And whatever affliction befalls you is because of what your hands have earned, yet He pardons much.”

“Your hands” here does not refer only to direct sins, but also to:

• Witnessing injustice and remaining silent.

• Ignoring wrongdoing when you have the power to stop it.

• Committing sins that bring consequences upon yourself or society.

3. The One Who Causes Harm Is Responsible Before Allah

• If a ruler causes injustice, he is responsible before Allah.
• If a rich man hoards wealth while others starve, he is responsible.
• If a person spreads falsehood and misguides others, he is responsible.

They will all be held accountable on the Day of Judgment.

📖Surah An-Nahl (16:93)
“If Allah had willed, He could have made you one nation, but He lets go astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills, and you will surely be questioned about what you used to do.”

4. The One Who Suffers Is Also Tested

Even though suffering is often caused by human actions, the one who experiences hardship is also in a test.

• They must remain patient and remember that Allah is watching.
• They must not blame Allah, because it was human choices that caused their suffering.
• They must trust that Allah’s justice will prevail, either in this life or the Hereafter.

📖Surah Al-Baqarah (2:286)
“Allah does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear…”

This means any test a person faces is within their ability to handle, and it will be rewarded if they endure with patience.

5. The Balance Between Free Will and Divine Testing

Allah does not directly cause all suffering. Instead, He allows people to make choices, and when they cause harm, it becomes a test for the victim.

• The wrongdoer is accountable for their misdeeds.
• The victim is tested in patience and faith.

Allah has given free will, and because of that, He allows people’s choices to affect others. However, He will hold everyone accountable, and ultimate justice will be served in the Hereafter.

📖Surah Aal-e-Imran (3:185)
“Every soul will taste death, and you will only be given your full compensation on the Day of Resurrection. So he who is drawn away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise has attained success…”

This hadith teaches that both hardship and prosperity are tests, but many hardships happen because of human free will. Allah allows them as part of the test of life.

• Those who cause suffering will be held accountable.
• Those who suffer must remain patient and trust Allah’s justice.
• Both hardship and success should bring a person closer to Allah.

The real test is not whether we face difficulty or comfort, but how we respond to it, either with patience and gratitude or with arrogance and heedlessness.